Castle Halts Production for a Day as Nathan Fillion Is a No-Show During Contract Dispute

ABC’s Castle shut down production on Season 6 this past Friday when series lead Nathan Fillion was a no-show on the set, sources confirm for TVLine.

As first reported by our sister site Deadline, Fillion’s absence was likely intended as a “nudge” to his ABC Studios bosses with whom he is in a contract dispute, as he lobbies for a four-day work week.

Fillion was conspicuously “Twitter silent” on the Friday in question, having posted 11 times the day prior (including the photo below, with Season 6 guest star Lisa Edelstein) and nine times the day after. Edelstein herself went on to post the second photo below, “solving crimes” with female lead Stana Katic.

Production on the ABC drama resumed this week, with Fillion on set. As announced earlier today, Castle‘s new season will premiere Monday, Sept. 23

I’m sorry for you. I been thinking that this show will not last 8 season or more, and after the 100th episode aired, and all the talk about, the sindication, etc, I can see this show ending in his 150 episode, doing the math, 7 seasons. thats it.

Wow, so much hate. I do not begrudge a man/woman on how much money they make. There are people in my profession that make way more than I do and way less. How much money he makes shouldn’t be the issue. This is his job, he just happens to make a very good living at what he does. Does the size of his paycheck eliminate his right to fight for what he wants?

I think what a lot of fans are finding difficult is the whole idea that fillion doesn’t seem invested in the show, particularly in the past two years or so. The 100th episode coverage really seemed to show that things are not good on the set at all. As someone else said, the extreme lack of interaction between nathan and stana as well as a general sense of tension within the cast spoke volumes. A lot of people have commented on this so there does definitely appear to be some cracks between cast/crew. Whether they are all down to fillion alone is anybodys guess but he definitely doesn’t appear to be as excited or insightful about the show as other cast members. It’s all very disappointing as a fan, even though logically I know it has no real bearing on the show. I suppose as fans, we all want the lead actors to love the show and characters as much as we do

I think it’s unfortunate that it’s gotten to the point where viewers can sense the tension. We may never know where the tension comes from or why it’s there, but it’s pretty obvious.
.
And, in the grand scheme of things, I’d rather the show end sooner than later, since it appears things likely won’t improve. Like you said, this has been going on for two years now.

I don’t see why people’s panties get so twisted over this. It looks like a typical situation during contract negotiations.

One side (usually the studio) releases some misleadingly out-of-context piece of info to make the other side look bad in public and lose their footing in negotiation. Things get resolved eventually, but even if truth becomes known the damage is already done.

Because contract negotiations are supposed to not be public, that’s why. However right or wrong you are, this money-work hours talk (especially if it’s out of context) makes you look bad, when made public. It’s like if someone videotapes you using a bathroom, and releases it on the internet. You know you did nothing wrong, people watching it know you did nothing wrong, yet the damage is done, you’re dirty now. Contracts and bathrooms are meant to be dealt with in private.

I also see nothing wrong when actors/musicians/athletes try to negotiate better money or working conditions. People usually fly off the handle – “he makes 20 times more than me, suck it up and be grateful!” and such. Personally, I just see envy and irrational jealousy here. He makes more money so he’s not human, he’s not allowed to strive for something better? Why, do you always think about how lucky you are compared to a janitor when negotiating your salary? I doubt that. Every field has its own standards. It just happens that show business thinks in 000000, and your field thinks in 000. Doesn’t mean that everyone there is greedy and inhuman, blame the game not the players.

Lastly, everything I ever heard of Fillion, and I heard stories from people who met him, was glowingly positive to say the least. Yes, his personal traits always get praised – how kind, considerate and honest he is, but people who worked with him comment particularly on his consummate professionalism and working ethic. So I am absolutely sure there is a lot more that wasn’t made public. Like Titanic proportions more.

I don’t see why people’s panties get so twisted over this. It looks like a typical situation during contract negotiations.

One side (usually the studio) releases some misleadingly out-of-context piece of info to make the other side look bad in public and lose their footing in negotiation. Things get resolved eventually, but even if truth becomes known the damage is already done.

Because contract negotiations are supposed to not be public, that’s why. However right or wrong you are, this money-work hours talk (especially if it’s out of context) makes you look bad, when made public. It’s like if someone videotapes you using a bathroom, and releases it on the internet. You know you did nothing wrong, people watching it know you did nothing wrong, yet the damage is done, you’re dirty now. Contracts and bathrooms are meant to be dealt with in private.

I also see nothing wrong when actors/musicians/athletes try to negotiate better money or working conditions. People usually fly off the handle – “he makes 20 times more than me, suck it up and be grateful!” and such. Personally, I just see envy and irrational jealousy here. He makes more money so he’s not human, he’s not allowed to strive for something better? Why, do you always think about how lucky you are compared to a janitor when negotiating your salary? I doubt that.
Every field has its own standards. It just happens that show business thinks in 000000, and your field thinks in 000. Doesn’t mean that everyone there is greedy and inhuman, blame the game not the players.

Lastly, everything I ever heard of Fillion, and I heard stories from people who met him, was glowingly positive to say the least. Yes, his personal traits always get praised – how kind, considerate and honest he is, but people who worked with him comment particularly on his consummate professionalism and working ethic. So I am absolutely sure there is a lot more that wasn’t made public. Like Titanic proportions more.

He’s popular, but Ian Somerhalder from Vampire Diaries has just under 4 million twitter followers. It really doesn’t mean anything. Most people still don’t know who Fillion is, or are aware of the show. Castle isn’t ABC’s number one drama — Grey’s Anatomy is, and there are other ABC shows ahead of it — Once Upon a Time, Revenge and Scandal.

Not coming to work is a bad idea – makes him an easy target. He looks unprofessional. He is currently contractually obligated to the show and legally bound to act a certain way. He is free to try to sweeten his deal, but this seems like he’s hurting his cause. Plus,his near silence about the show when doing interviews speaks volumes. If, in front of my boss, all I did was talk about how much I loved my last job and my last boss I wouldn’t be surprised if demands for perks were refused.

I would imagine this is a negotiating tactic along the lines of I’ll work 5 days if you pay me more. 4 days of work seems completely unreasonable but it’s a high place to work down from. It’s all a matter of supply and demand anyway why should the studio make all the money? Actors not turning up for work during contract disputes is pretty common and I’m sure they’ve got insurance for that. Hope Stana has equal pay written into her contract though.

Other aspects of the argument aside those of you using his salary as a point for outrage are completely DELUSIONAL if you think his salary equals what he actually takes home after all is said and done and paid for.

This sounds like something cooked up by Fillion, ABC, and Marvel to sneak him in to do a top secret guest spot on SHIELD…. Fillion has always presented himself as incredibly professional… If I had to guess, he’ll have a quick cameo as a behind the scenes big bad at the end of the first episode of SHIELD, that way he can continue work on Castle, then jump into an Avengers 2 role that was set up through SHIELD…

I think it’s a bit interesting that we didn’t hear about this on Friday… there is probably more to the story then what they’re telling us.. I hope they can get it resolved soon. Castle is one of my favorites, and would like to see it continue for a long time.

Weather or not he is nice, popular, talented or non-talented, it is time for Nathan to go. I too have noted that he avoids complementing Katic, while going overboard to complement other guests. It does take Eienstein to recognize that Stana is talented. He has worked with Stana for 5 yrs. and just met Lisa, yet she is the best thing since the invention of sliced bread. This is not very professional nor gentlemanly. I started to be wary of Nathan when a columnist was not at all complementary to Stana and other cast members, but went overboard to complement Nathan. Nathan twitted him a ‘thank you’ . He never defended his the other actors. His leading man looks do not exist anyway. He is overweight and bloated.Time to go and play video games with the fourteen year old kids.

I agree. There is no credibility or chemistry between the show leads, as Fillion is so bloated and overweight that you simply can’t believe there’s a relationship there. I originally tuned into the show because of his on screen charisma, but he seems to have completely lost it and is just phoning in his performance now.

Castle’s been running now for 5 seasons. It has established a working system from the cast, directors, set designers, location managers etc. to make it function like clockwork week after week, season after season. Nathan’s disruption to the flow of a well-oiled running machine by only wanting to work 4 days instead of 5 will affect the show’s balance somehow, somewhere. No doubt about that. Production behind the show will now have to consider his availability rather than continuing to do the best scenario for that particular day of filming.
Ah, Nathan this will definitely not endear you to the cast & crew because they all will have to make changes to accommodate your silly demand to work one day less & they, still working the 5 days for the actors, 8 days in total for each episode to be completed. How very unprofessional & selfish of you to do that to them. It’s time to grow up, dude! Castle is your only hit show & all because of this cast’s chemistry.

I don’t fault Fillion for what he’s doing. The whole idea of the 7-year contract is scummy considering that it more than likely has a cancellation clause for the network. The only party who benefits is the network. So Fillion is using his position for leverage. Bully for him.

If you have a problem with him working 4 days a week and making $100K, you should have a problem with his rate anyway. Whether he’s working 4 or 8 days a week (;-)) he’s making more money in a week than most people make in a year. That is the reality of TV. Star actors make a heckofa lot of money for not working all that hard by our standards.

It is affirming to hear people talk about the Stanathan relationship and how it bleeds thru to the show. I think it’s pretty obvious that these people don’t really care that much for each other in real life, and may not even be on speaking terms, who knows. What I know for certain is that their few intimate scenes look really forced and unbelievable, moreso than pretty much any I’ve ever seen. Makes me cringe about every time. I really think it’s time for somebody to go, and maybe Nathan is the ideal person. He has loads of opportunities and maybe Marlowe can turn Stana into a true lead.

Perhaps Nathan can see the writing on the wall. Castle has had an excellent run. It is very evident when love interests become dramatic relationship arcs the the show has or is about to JUMP THE SHARK. Why hate on Nathan for preparing for the inevitable?

I don’t understand the “jump the shark” “writings on the wall” comments. Have you missed the increase in ratings over past seasons, good reviews, and episode extensions? I don’t think they’re going to run forever, but I can see at least two more seasons (season 7) of material. Marlowe has made it clear that he is exactly where he wants the story to be. It was always his plan to put them in a relationship. The only writing on the wall I see is Castle and Beckett getting married, most likely by the end of season.

Yeah, there’s no denying that this show has managed to maintain and gain viewers in his fifth season, due in part to a buzzy romance for its two leads and TNT syndication. Earning their 100th episode milestone helped, too.
.
Castle has actually proven to be a reliable show for ABC, and getting Castle and Beckett together was good timing. All of the behind-the-scenes machinations aside, it seems like the show could have staying power if it can hold its own against Blacklist and Hostages. No mean feat either, I’m sure. Those shows have a lot of buzz and marketing cash behind them from their respective networks.

Whether anybody likes it or hates it, Nathan plays the titular character in Castle, and despite enthusiastic suggestions/demand for a show named Beckett, it is an almost-certainty that Stana Katic will not reprise her role as Beckett in what can only be labelled as a bizarre TV-show coup (if it ever does happen).
On the other hand, fans in the Richard Castle corner need to accept Beckett (with all her flaws) and her increasing role in the show. While I have never sided with either of them before, I do agree that Beckett’s behavior towards the end was unfair to Castle. But I hope the makers/writers will balance the relationship (in the eyes of the fans) again in season 6.

Lol at all of you idiots discussing something that NO ONE has any knowledge of. They’ve resumed shooting so what’s the big deal? Besides it’s just a TV show, it’ll be over & another one will take its place. GET OVER IT AND SHUT UP!

I have noted that people comment about Nathan’s love for Firefly and how he constantly refer to that show during interviews (at the cost of neglecting Castle}. Until tonight I had never seen this show. While surfing the channels, looking for something to view tonight I passed firefly and retraced my steps in order to determine its worth according to my judgement. The first thing I noted is that the production must have had a small budget. It was so cheap looking. The scene of what I guess was a space ship was simply a joke. The acting was so bad, the characters reminded me of an Ed Woods movie. I asked myself is this serious or is it a caricature of something, I’m serious. I really tried to watch but I gave up after about ten minutes. It was really bad. I now understand why it was canceled after only a few episodes. Who gave the okay to this mess? Is Nathan a teenage boy in a fat man’s body? Is he experiencing arrested development?

don’t think a 12 yr. old would have been interested. is nathan experiencing arrested development?

I think we all like the show and if he quits there is no show it is called castle after all. People say they make great money, suck it up, etc but without them you would have to entertain yourselves and your children and their children etc because we all know TV is a HUGE part of everyone’s lives and without it you can sit and watch the grass grow! So you all need to get over it, suck it up, shut up and etc…

The schedule an actor has to keep is incredibly difficult and it is NOT called for. I think insisting on a 4 day work week is one of the best moves I’ve ever seen an actor make! NOBODY in Hollyweird needs a 14-16 hour work week 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year! It’s partly the fault of the unions, frankly. The unionized workers are having a hissy fit right now, but I applaud Fillion!!! Good on him!!!!

I don’t consider it to be a very classy move but it is the way things tend to work in Hollywood. Most of the actors in series who are also producers/executive producers got that title the same basic way. It’s just part of the downside to signing a 7-year deal. That show gets popular but the stars don’t get big raises until it’s time for a new contract, and how many shows go more then 7 years for the actors to sign the new big contract?

I really hope that’s what it’s about. If he’s genuinely unhappy and wants fewer hours, I don’t see how we get a contract extension next year. This is the kind of show that could easily extend to an 8th or 9th year if ratings hold at a point where ABC is comfortable and Castle’s a workhorse for them. If Nathan doesn’t feel fulfilled or he’s getting tired of it to the point he doesn’t want to go on, that kills the show. There’s no recasting or fudging it a la the X Files and Mulder. I don’t think he’s ungrateful or unaware of what it does to the crew. Firefly taught him a lot of lessons. I want Nathan, the cast/crew, and the fans to be happy. We can only hope there’s an option that does that. He seemed upbeat while shooting with Lisa Edelstein. Not forcing a smile. There’s gotta be a solution, and I hope that people don’t tear Nathan down for this. He has a reputation that’s anything but that of a troublemaker.

i still think he desires to be liked. He twitted the picture of he and Lisa. Whereas Lisa twitted the picture of she and Stana. Although Stana seemed a willing participant, it seemed Lisa was the person thrilled to do so. The devil is in the details. Is Stana getting too much respect and attention? Food for thought.

@sue
No, you’re probably just too focused on her, that’s why it looks to you like that. Dozens of guest stars only posted pics with Nathan and never said anything about Stana. The opposite is true as well (though probably a little less). It just means that Stana is actually shooting several scenes with Lisa, while Nathan probably just met her on set, posted his pic and left.

The notion about Stana being more popular and respected in the industry than Nathan is not very accurate, to say the least. She is still fairly a newcomer and she’s shy in public. For every 1 Stana’s mention in the media there are probably 20 for Nathan. He also seems to be friends or at least acquainted with practically everybody in the industry, and all those people jump out of their skin to praise him. So… no.

And I’m not saying it to offend Stana or her status, I quite like her (even though some of her fans can be “intense”), but making her out to be an everyone’s favourite wonder-child of the show biz is delusional (it’s called projecting). She is known only for Castle and to people linked with Castle, both inside and outside the industry, and it’s not THAT much. Shippers love her way more it’s true, but I never got an impression that she is, say, more loved on the set of Castle than Nathan.
At the same time you make Nathan sound like a simpleton whom nobody is interested in. I get that you’re a fan of Stana and only learn things about her, but to be more objective you probably need to learn more about Nathan – read something, watch some videos etc, you’d be surprised how many people find him “interesting and diversified”, even without opera hehe.

this comment should go here, don’t know why it posted in other replies, sorry

@sue
No, you’re probably just too focused on her, that’s why it looks to you like that. Dozens of guest stars only posted pics with Nathan and never said anything about Stana. The opposite is true as well (though probably a little less). It just means that Stana is actually shooting several scenes with Lisa, while Nathan probably just met her on set, posted his pic and left.

The notion about Stana being more popular and respected in the industry than Nathan is not very accurate, to say the least. She is still fairly a newcomer and she’s shy in public. For every 1 Stana’s mention in the media there are probably 20 for Nathan. He also seems to be friends or at least acquainted with practically everybody in the industry, and all those people jump out of their skin to praise him. So… no.

And I’m not saying it to offend Stana or her status, I quite like her (even though some of her fans can be “intense”), but making her out to be an everyone’s favourite wonder-child of the show biz is delusional (it’s called projecting). She is known only for Castle and to people linked with Castle, both inside and outside the industry, and it’s not THAT much. Shippers love her way more it’s true, but I never got an impression that she is, say, more loved on the set of Castle than Nathan.
At the same time you make Nathan sound like a simpleton whom nobody is interested in. I get that you’re a fan of Stana and only learn things about her, but to be more objective you probably need to learn more about Nathan – read something, watch some videos etc, you’d be surprised how many people find him “interesting and diversified”, even without opera hehe.

I agree with this assessment, and I don’t particularly care for Fillion. But he’s clearly a well-liked, well-respected guy whose “life of the party” persona means he’s got a lot of industry friends who fall over backwards to praise him.
.
Katic isn’t quite as popular yet, and it’s entirely possible she never will be. Then again, that doesn’t seem to be as important to her as perhaps it is for him. As Jennifer Beals so cryptically stated last year during the two-parter, they are both very different people. You’d have to be blind to miss just how different they are, even from the little we see in interviews and through pictures.
.
All of that aside, they both seem to have pretty great reputations with the people they come in contact with, which has served the show well despite the obvious behind-the-scenes fissures and tension among certain cast members.

I don’t know what that means, John. I’ve fully admitted to guessing, having based my opinions on observations. Some of the questions raised will never get a verified answer. But I’m a fan of pragmatic, realistic speculation.

Agree with you Nathan is more popular in the industry than Stana.He has a lot of friends in the industry,he has 3 films this summer.In twitter he has 1.8 mil followers compared to Stana 200k.He has firefly fans and previous shows fans.That is why he has won the people choice awards twice people like him.

I do not favor either one more than the other. I simply like the show and I tend to note the specifics. It seems Nathan is more open and outgoing. Stana is more closed. Actually I find their differences interesting. Her conversations center on the Beckett character and what drives her. Nathan conversations are about Firefly ( I know nothing about that show, wasn’t aware of it). Both Stana and Nathan are new for me. I was not aware of them before Castle. I don,t follow the soaps either. Actually I do not watch very much serial TV. Castle is character driven and ‘people’ is my following (Psychology). I am very analytical which explains the character interests. I will admit that I find Stana more interesting, mainly because she is harder to read.

He’s not that naïve. Actors, especially a lead actor, not showing up on set means that word gets out. These kinds of negotiations happen–I remember it during The West Wing with the supporting cast holdouts–and releasing that an actor didn’t show up is part of what the studio does trying to leverage things. They’re trying to make the actor in question look more difficult or greedy. (Honestly, I think Rob Lowe, as talented as he is, misjudged his own contract situation and I wish he’d stop submitting for lead actor for Parks & Rec because he’s never been close to lead.). Of course if everything gets smoothed over, everybody’s back to smiles which is so ridiculous because they were trying to strong arm earlier in a way that I know I’d take personally even if it wasn’t mean that way. I’m not sure anybody would think Nathan’s difficult. That’s one perk of having such a sterling reputation going into a situation like this. It’s harder for the studio to try to damage it.

@Lauren, re: Fillion’s popularity
.
He also actively seeks popularity in my opinion, going out of his way to gush over popular guest stars and engage in inside jokes with other popular actors, but somehow never finding the time to publicly acknowledge his direct co-star in any way, unless he absolutely has to do so.
.
He may have his reasons for doing so, and I respect them, whatever they are. But it makes the public fawning he does over people like Edelstein or Beals ring somewhat hollow for me.
.
There is no doubt that he is genuinely a popular guy though. You’d really have to be dumb to miss that.

Thank you, this so much. One of the reasons why Stana isn’t that popular is because she doesn’t want to. She prefers having a personal life. She doesn’t go to parties and rarely shows up at Awards shows and when she does is for Indies. She does her quota of promotion for Castle, per ABC’s request and she rarely engages with fans on twitter. She has the talent and she could do more if only she wanted, but she’s not in this for money or fame.

The difference between Nathan and Stana’s personalities was noticeable during the PCAs, Nathan was all “Vote for me, me and ME” and Stana was “vote for my costar, the show and me” and “thanks to the fans, without you there would be no Castle”.

@JAA, re: The PCA voting requests
.
That whole situation was just awkward. Everything about them in real life, to me, is awkward. I’ve been able to ignore it and not let it affect my enjoyment of the show, but I think at some point unless something changes, it’s going to be hard to avoid and ignore. For everyone.
.
Here’s hoping things improve!

From Kiki: “How do you know Stana didn’t ask him to leave her out of his efforts to promote the show?”
.
I don’t. But considering she’s engaged him on social media multiple times without response — including during the PCA voting season — and he’s failed to even mention her name more than once, I think it’s safe to assume she never made that request.
.
And sorry, I’m doing exactly what I said I wouldn’t do. It’s all speculation, all guesswork and assumptions. I’ve not had the opportunity to talk about it with other people, simply filing details away, but I admit that it’s a discussion that really doesn’t belong on a public forum.
.
No viewers really know what happened there, and it’s likely no viewers will ever know what happened, because both actors are known for being class acts.

‘The Whole Zoo? , that’s funny but somehow true. Their affection toward each other , as a couple on the show , is very strange. Yet the show is centered on this relationship. I believe the producer must have noted the same. Maybe, this job in DC is no accident. Nathan’s ultimate goal maybe to get a release from his contract or maybe its to affect the storyline.

Re: Caskett affection
.
I find it hit or miss. Sometimes, it totally works. Someones, it totally DOES NOT. And the awkwardness shines through the cracks, so to speak.
.
I will say they’ve done a great job selling that couple to the masses, so kudos to them for making it work so well.